Rocking hospital bed



1366- 1954 E. w. BUSHNELL ROCKING HOSPITAL BED 3 Sheets-Shoot 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1951 INVENTOR. Eon/men M BMW/NEIL BY Dec. 7, 1954 w, BUSHNELL 2,696,207

ROCKING HOSPITAL BED Filed Oct. 29, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Zbmveo ififlwx/usu WM Jr This invention relates in general to and has for an object the provision of an improved therapeutic appliance, for use 1n hospitals, infirmaries, san1tariums or in prlvate homes for the treatment of poliomyelitis, heart and res- .piratory disorders and otherdiseases, and preferably in the form of a rocking table or bed on which an afflicted person may repose in comfort during a treatment.

I am aware that other therapeutic appliances for a similar purpose have been heretofore used, but the cost thereof has been so great as to limit them to but occasional use, and mechanical defects found in prior appliances have not been sufficiently overcome to warrant their use except in rare cases.

It'is an important object, therefore, to provide a dependable, simple and durable rocking bed which is so designed and constructed as to aiford maximum benefits with a minimum of trouble, repair and attention and at a reasonable cost.

Other and more detailed objects will appear as the description progresses.

I have shown a preferred form of bed embodying my improvements in the accompanying drawings, subject to modification, Within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In

said drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective View; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view;

, .Figs. 3, 4 and are, respectively, sectional views on lines 33, 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 2; and FFig. 6 is a sectional elevational view on line 66 of Briefly described my improvedbed includes a base A with tubular ends 1 and 2 and similar sides 3 and 4 and a bed plate A suitably secured to base A as at its ends 5 and 6. Four casters-more or. lessas at 7, 7 etc. are

, mounted at desired points on and beneath the sides or end 1 of baseA for rendering the unit readily portable from one location to another. Base A supports on its bed plate A a motor M and a gear reduction unit G which is drivingly connected with said motor for applying motive power to a bed B generally represented at B as a unit, in the manner hereinafter described.

10 and 11.

, side of the frame. The lower ends of said legs are welded or otherwise suitably attached to the upper sides of members 3 and 4 of base A.

Fixtures 13, 13 are cross connected bya rockable bar 16' which has its opposite ends pivoted at the points .12, 12 to said fixtures 13, 13. I

" Bed B also includes a bed frame which is preferably composed of a plurality of-sections B1, B2, Baand B4 of which section B2 only is non-adjustable on the frame B. Head section B1 is hinged at points 17, 17 near its inner margin to sides 10 and 11 of frame B; section B2 is secured at points 18 on rails 10 .and 11; section B3 is hinged at points 18 to frameB and is hinged at points 19 to foot section B4. A mattress B5 of sectional form to correspond to the several bed frame sections I or of integral form is superposed on frame sections B1,

B2, B3 and 'B4, as shownin Fig. 1.

a d s c s.., 1,. B au .134 h e spa e gitudinal sid rails 19, 20 and 21, respectively, which are suitably cross connected in pairs to provide each section with requisite rigidity and strength and the side rails of each section are pivoted as described to the rails of an adjacent section to, afford independence of section B1 on section B2, section B: relative to sections B2 and B4, and. section B4 relative to section B3. The side rails overlie the horizontal flanges 10a and 11a of the bed frame B. Hence when sections B1, B3 and B4 are inclined from the normal plane of frame B the side rails thereof will be guided and supported at their free ends on said flanges 10a and 11a.v It may be noted at this point that sections B1, B3 and. B4 are bodily borne by the rockable frame B and thatv regardless of the position of the bed, whether static or in motion, the relative inclination of said sections will be maintained and the adjustment thereof is effected by the employment of separate manually operable cranks C and C which are rotatably mounted at the foot of the bed on blocks 20a and 20b, respectively, afixed to and depending from end 9 of frame B.

Crank C is affixed to an end of a horizontal rod 21 which extends toward and beneath head section B1 and is operatively connected with said head section as by means of a bell crank 22 having a rear arm 23 pivoted at 24 to rod 21, and a link 25 which is pivoted at 26 to .an arm 27 of said bell crank and at a point 28 to a member of section B1.

Thus, by turning crank C the head section may be raised and lowered and thereby inclined to a suitable plane to suit the comfort of a patient on the bed and fulfill therapeutic requirements. Crank C is similarly effective for properly inclining the sections B3 and B4 so that the knee joints of a patient may be over the joint between said sections. To such end crank C is affixed to a rod 29 which in turn is pivoted at 30 to an arm 31 of a bell crank 32. Another arm 33 of said bell crank is pivoted at 34 to a link 35 which is hinged at 36 to one of the rails 20 of section B3. Thus, when crank C is turned both of the sections B3 and B4 will be adjusted to oppositely inclined planes.

Oscillation of the bed is accomplished at regularly timed intervals by applying power from motor spindle 49 through a coupling 41 to a worm shaft 42 which carries a worm 43 within a suitable housing H borne by base plate A. Said worm is drivingly connected with a gear G1 on a transverse shaft 44 so as to reduce the speed of shaft 44 to a safe and proper speed in accordance with the required or desired oscillations of the bed per minute.

Bed frame B is adjustably anchored to base A by means of a turnbuckle 45 which has its opposite end portions internally and reversely threaded to receive a post 46 fixed to a yoke 47 which is pivoted at 48 to a bearing 49 on plate A, while the other end portion is threaded upon a depending stem 50 of a clevis 51. Said clevis swivels on a transverse rod 52 (Fig. 4) held on blocks 53, 53 which are longitudinally slidable on rods 53, 53' of frame B. 1

Worm gear shaft 44 is extended from opposite sides of its housing H and externally of said housing has crank arms 54, 54 fixed thereto which are pivoted at points 55, 55 to arms 56, 56, respectively, of a yoke 57. Said yoke has an upright stem 59 which slides through rocker bar 16 (Fig. 3) and is pierced at its upper end to rotatably receive a transverse rod 60 which is affixed to side rails 10 and 11 of bed frame B.

Thus, thefulcrum of oscillation is the pivot 51 which is adjustable vertically by turnbuckle 45 to limit the downward movement of the head section B1 to a desired extent and thereby correspondingly vary the upward movement of the foot sections B3 and B4.

For the purpose of adjusting the fulcrum'of oscillation horizontally I provide a second turnbuckle 62 (Fig. 5) which is threaded onto stems 63 and 64 of clevises 65 and 66 respectively, at its opposite ends. Clevis 65 is pivoted at 67 to a bracket 68 aflixed to the head end'of frame B while clevis 66 is pivoted on rod 52 which is the fulcrum of oscillation for the bed. (See Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6.) Preferably turnbuckle. 62 has a hand wheel 69 thereon by means of which because of its more or.less

obscured position,,the turnbucklemay be moreeasily to the vertical plane of crank shaft 44 the greater the movement of the foot of the bed.

Suitable springs S are stretched between the rails of the bed sections for resiliently supporting the mattress B5. One or more head rests R and R and a foot rest R1 are adjustably suportcd at the head and foot of the bed as shown. Preferably a pair of rests R and R are provided above section Bi and are mounted on arms having depending stems 71, 71 which are rotatably adjustable in sleeves 72, 72 and held by set screws 73 on rods 74, 74 which are suitably aflixed to the side rails 19, 19 of bed section B1 as by means of fixtures 75 and 76 at opposite ends of rods 74 in each case. Rests R and R are slidably adjustable on said rods and may be held in adjusted positions as by means of set screws 73 or other similar or different means.

Foot rest R1 preferably is in the form of a flat platelike member and extends over and entirely across the bed at a point near its foot as shown in Fig. 1. Rest R1 is supported at opposite ends on sleeves as at 77 which are ahixed to depending portions 78, 78 of the rest and are slidable on rods as at 79 afiixed to side rails 21, 21 of section B4 as by means of fixtures 80, 80 at opposite ends of said rods. Sleeves 77 may be held on said rods as by means of set screws 81. Thus, said head and foot rests may be readily adjusted to and set in positions of greatest comfort to patients of different height.

I claim:

1. ma therapeutic appliance having a base and a bed oscillatably mounted on said base: a bed frame rockably supported by said base on an axis between its ends, a fulcrum pivotally adjustable on said base and adjustably connected with said bed for respectively limiting the downward movement of the bed and varying the range of oscillation, a prime mover, and oscillating means drivingly connected with said prime mover and operatively connected with said bed frame at a point midway of the ends of the bed frame and spaced from the fulcrum of oscillation, for alternately inclining the bed in opposite directions to a variable extent as determined by i the adjustment of said fulcrum.

2. In a therapeutic appliance having a base and a bed oscillatably mounted on said base: a bed frame rockably supported by said base on an axis between its ends, a fulcrum pivotally adjustable on said base and adjustably connected with said bed for respectively limiting the downward movement of the bed and varying the range of oscillation, a prime mover, and oscillating means drivingly connected with said prime mover and operatively connected with said bed frame at a point midway of the, ends of the bed frame and spaced from the fulcrum of oscillation, for alternately inclining the bed in opposite directions to a variable extent as determined by the adjustment of said fulcrum, said base having a rockable member thereon, and said oscillating means including a crank operated member slidable on said rockable member and attached to said bed frame.

3. In a therapeutic appliance having a base and a bed oscillatably mounted on said base: a bed frame rockably supported by said base on an axis between its ends, a fulcrum pivotally adjustable on said base and adjustably connected with said bed for respectively limiting the downward movement of the bed and varying the range of oscillation, a prime mover, and oscillating means drivingly connected with said prime mover and operatively connected with said bed frame at a point midway of the ends of the bed frame and spaced from the fulcrum of oscillation, for alternately inclining the bed in oposite directions to a variable extent as determined by the adjustment of said fulcrum, a rockable member on said base below and midway of the ends of said bed frame, said oscillating means including a rotatable crank driven from said prime mover, and a member pivotally connected with said crank, slidable in said rockable member and connected at its upper end to said bed frame.

4. In a therapeutic appliance having a base and a bed oscillatably mounted on said base: a bed frame rock- .ably supported by said base on an axis between its ends, :a fulcrum pivotally adjustable on said base and adjustably connected with said bed for respectively limiting the downward movement of the bed and varying the range of oscillation, a prime mover, and oscillating means drivingly connected with said prime mover and operatively connected with said bed frame at a point midway of the ends of the bed frame and spaced from the fulcrum of oscillation, for alternately inclining the bed in opposite directions to a variable extent as determined by the adjustment of said fulcrum, said fulcrum adjusting means including threaded members pivoted to said base and to said bed frame, and a turnbuckle screwed onto said threaded members, for varying the elevation of the portion of the bed frame to which said adjusting means is connected.

5. In a therapeutic appliance having a base and a bed oscillatably mounted on said base: a bed frame rockably borne by said base on an axis between its ends, a fulcrum adjustably supported on said base and adjustably connected with said bed for respectively limiting the downward movement of the bed and varying the range of oscillation, a prime mover, and oscillating means drivingly connected with said prime mover and operatively connected with said bed frame at a point midway of the ends of the bed frame and spaced from the fulcrum of oscillation, for alternately inclining the bed in opposite directions to a variable extent as determined by the adjustment of said fulcrum, said fulcrum adjusting means including threaded members pivoted to said base and to said bed frame, and a turnbuckle screwed onto said threaded members, for varying the elevation of the portion of the bed frame to which said adjusting means is connected, said bed including a main frame and a sub frame, and a second fulcrum adjustor including threaded parts attached to said main frame and to said fulcrum, and a second turnbuckle screwed onto said threaded parts for adjusting the fulcrum horizontally on the frame.

6. In a therapeutic appliance having a base and a bed oscillatably mounted on said base: a bed frame rockably borne by said base on an axis between its ends, a fulcrum adjustably supported on said base and adjustably connected with said bed for respectively limiting the downward movement of the bed and varying the range of oscillation, a prime mover, and oscillating means drivingly connected with said prime mover and operatively connected with said bed frame at a point midway of the ends of the bed frame and spaced from the fulcrum of oscillation, for alternately inclining the bed in opposite directions to a variable extent as determined by the adjustment of said fulcrum, said bed including a main frame and a sub-frame composed of head, foot and intermediate sections adjustably supported on the main frame, and separately adjustable head and foot rests supported at the sides of the head and foot sections and overlying the bed.

7. A therapeutic bed comprising: a base, a main frame oscillatably mounted on said base, a bed frame, a plurality of sections adjustable on said main frame to different inclined planes, for supporting a patient during treatment, means on said base for oscillating both frames together at regularly timed intervals about an axis of oscillation, an adjustable support hinged to said base, and an adjustor hinged to said main frame and adjustably connecting said adjustable support to said main frame to adjust the axis of oscillation both longitudinally and vertically and thereby vary the limit and range of oscillation.

8. A therapeutic bed comprising: a base, a main frame oscillatably mounted on said base, a bed frame adjustable on said main frame to different inclined planes, for supporting a patient during treatment, means on saitf base for oscillating both frames together at regularlj timed intervals about an axis of oscillation, and mean: for adjusting the position of the axis of oscillation sc as to vary and limit the range of oscillation, said bec oscillating means including a power driven crank, 2 rocker bar on the base, and a member pivotally sup ported on the base, slidable on said rocker bar and piv otally connected with said main frame at a point sub stantially midway of the ends of the main frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,104,764 Sanders et al Jan. 11, 1931 2,211,542 Howell et a1. Aug. 13, 1941 2,311,542 Holme Feb. 16, 1941 2,566,239 Mininberg Aug. 28, 

